Bankruptcy Legal Bill is $18 M

Lawyers who represented the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Ore., and its creditors in bankruptcy proceedings triggered in 2004 by clergy sex abuse claims have submitted their final bill.

It is a little over $18 million—$18,842,506.13, to be precise, reports the Oregonian. “It’s not clear how they figured the 13 cents,” the newspaper notes.

With additional legal fees earned on a contingency basis by lawyers who won a $50 million settlement for alleged abuse victims, the total payout to lawyers by the archdiocese in recent years is around $35 million, the Oregonian estimates. An additional $20 million fund was also set up to compensate future victims.

The bankruptcy bill listed $10,854,856.02 in fees and $1,085,589.40 in expenses that the archdiocese was charged by its four law firms. The remainder of the bill is expenses and fees charged by attorneys and experts working for other parties, including a plaintiffs committee.